Adams: History on UT's side

A bewildering regular season has dwindled down to a clear and simple ending for the University of Tennessee: Beat Kentucky and win the SEC East.

How could you ask for more?

Never mind how much Kentucky has improved under coach Rich Brooks the last two years. It’s still Kentucky. When you have beaten an opponent 22 consecutive times, what’s one more?

Kentucky’s seemingly endless losing streak against UT should have ended last season. The Wildcats outplayed the Vols for most of the game but couldn’t close the deal. Sound familiar?

South Carolina outplayed UT last month and lost in overtime. Vanderbilt led UT by 15 points last week before letting the game slip away in the last 20 minutes.

Victories like that do wonders for a team’s confidence.

In a puzzling season marked by one-sided victories and losses, UT has proved in the last month it can win close games. That should serve it well Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.

So should the history of this rivalry. Even though Kentucky outplayed them last season, the Vols found a way to win. Two years ago, a 5-6 UT team was still good enough to win handily in Lexington.

Tennessee 30, Kentucky 23: The Vols leaned heavily on tailback Arian Foster on their last trip to Lexington. You would expect them to do the same Saturday.

As inconsistent as UT’s running game has been, Kentucky’s defense offers hope. The Wildcats rank 94th nationally in rushing defense.

Sabama 23, Auburn 20: Alabama coach Nick Saban does OK as long as he sticks to coaching football and cashing huge checks. He gets into trouble when he addresses his future career or world events.

In an attempt to put a positive spin on last week’s loss to Louisiana-Monroe, Saban made an analogy to 9/11 and World War II in a radio interview.

Nick, you’re a football coach. Stick to clichés. “It’s always darkest before the dawn” would have been just fine. If you didn’t think your audience could grasp that, there’s always, “When the going gets tough … ”

Or better yet, you could have personalized it.

In Saban’s first year at LSU, his team lost to UAB the week before it upset Tennessee. A victory over Auburn would be even bigger.

Win or lose, Saban shouldn’t make the mistake of comparing the outcome to world wars, America putting a man on the moon, Brad leaving Jen, or Bear Bryant going to the wishbone.

Georgia 27, Georgia Tech 17: If Georgia coach Mark Richt is in the midst of a mid-life crisis, don’t knock it. It’s working.

First, he gave up calling the offensive plays. Then, he changed his image.

Remember the calm, cool coach who once patrolled the Georgia sideline to the beat of elevator music? Apparently, Richt locked him in the closet at mid-season and replaced him with the “Richtinator,” an arm-waving, fist-shaking sideline force who even gets excited about jersey colors.

So does his team. The Bulldogs, who sleep walked through Neyland Stadium, last month suddenly are playing with passion and purpose.

Florida 27, FSU 24: Seminoles linebacker Geno Hayes proclaimed this week that, “Tim Tebow is going down.”

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall,” added Hayes.

I don’t know if he were talking about Tebow or the Florida State program.

The Seminoles didn’t used to threaten knocking out opposing quarterbacks. They just did it.

When the Florida-Florida State rivalry was at its peak in the 1990s, one quarterback threat would have been met with another. Unfortunately, the Gators probably don’t know the name of the FSU quarterback. “So-and-so is going down,” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

South Carolina 30, Clemson 27: The Gamecocks have undergone a bigger transformation than Richt. And that’s not a compliment.

After beginning the season 6-1, the Gamecocks have lost four consecutive games, prompting coach Steve Spurrier to say his team’s “attitude stinks.” He later apologized to his team about the “attitude” comment. He meant to say the “effort level” stinks.

That should make the Gamecocks feel so much better.

Since Spurrier is struggling to express himself, maybe he could borrow an international analogy from Saban.

How about: “We’re putting up less resistance than the French. But nobody is coming to our rescue.

“We’ve got to save ourselves.

Wake Forest 23, Vanderbilt 21: Look who’s on another losing streak. After starting out the season 5-3, the Commodores have lost three consecutive games. Just like old times, huh?

In the last 10 years, Vanderbilt has had 15 losing streaks of three or more games.

But don’t get the wrong idea. The Commodores are still making progress under coach Bobby Johnson.

They have won 14 games in the last three seasons. That equals their best three-year stretch (1992-94 under Gerry DiNardo) in 23 years.

Top 25: Missouri 37, Kansas 34; West Virginia 34, Connecticut 23; Virginia Tech 24, Virginia 17; Oklahoma 34, Oklahoma State 27; Oregon 27, Oregon State 23; Boston College 30, Miami 17; BYU 27, Utah 24; Cincinnati 30, Syracuse 13.

Record: 182-59 (.763) overall, 110-108 (.505) against the spread.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.